Welcome to yet another Loosies Of The Week, a wrap-up of this weeks singles, throwaways, leaks, and any other loose tracks I find. A wide range of genres this week, with a well-rounded level of quality. There's sure to be something you enjoy.
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Some, not myself but some, were growing tired of James Blake's schtick come 2016's The Colour In Anything. However, with a reinvigorated focus on the artist after successfully diverse collabs with Kendrick Lamar on the Black Panther soundtrack and Andre 3000 on 'Look Ma No Hands,' Blake's next project seems to have gotten the steam and excitement behind it that was missing on his last LP. Of course, the indecipherable Glitch Hop of 'If The Car Beside You Moves Ahead,' which was reminiscent of his early records, helped too. As so should 'Don't Miss It,' a glitchy crooner that finds Blake effortlessly fine-tuning his vocals and piano talents to captivate using nuance. Depending on one's mood, 'Don't Miss It' might surpass 'If The Car,' if only for the articulative melodrama disguising itself as beauty. Seriously, on the surface the song is incredibly barebones, yet with each passing listen on each passing verse, new quirks emerge to help liven the final product. Blake's vocals are serene here as well, and some of his most melodic in quite some time.
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Rory Ferreira, known to most as Milo, some as Scallops Hotel, has had his fair share of controversial statements since releasing Who Told You To Think??!!?!?!?! last August. His latest statement goes as follows: "1 last milo album i'm thinkin." Take from that what you will, the change in designation might be wise considering how amalgamated his pseudonyms Milo and Scallops Hotel have become. 'shinsplints wind breakr pants' is great evidence of that, finding the lo-fi aesthetic of the latter implanting itself on the ideological rambling's of the former. Naturally, Milo plays his sleight of hand card, eschewing serious commentary with nonsensical phrases. If the title wasn't evidence of that enough, lines like "hooligan anthems, making people use google at random" and "my destiny remains in phone booths" will do the trick. However, where 'shinsplints' separates itself from the patterned approach on recent Scallops Hotel projects like Sovereign Nose Of Your Arrogant Face and Too Much Of Life Is Mood lies in the tethered, and often personal emotion. It lingers under the surface of 'shinsplints,' coming out during moments like: "you should see my son's dimples, hear his accent / He has no conception of past tense, that's inspiring."
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With each successive single, Death Grips' Year Of The Snitch pulls itself further away from prediction. A staple of Death Grips, their shock and awe tactics fell by the wayside with the mostly foreseeable Bottomless Pit. However, with 'Streaky's' Hip-Hop focus, 'Black Paint's' Industrial Rock focus, and now 'Flies'' Experimental Electronic focus, YOTS is assimilating itself to be a cultivated affair taking bits and pieces from the group's entire discography. 'Flies' travels to the inconsistent land of Government Plates, powering through Andy Morin's prismatic pocket of Electronic clutter as Ride ricochets off emotional stability with panic-induced verses. This back-and-forth approach bears some resemblance to 'Say Hey Kid,' one of my favorite cuts from Niggas On The Moon; one of my favorite Death Grips albums. Much like Niggas On The Moon and Government Plates, Ride's lyrics are fascinatingly cryptic, and contain more of that morbid meddling that was lost on previous releases. Not to mention, 'Flies'' final moments sample both 'System Blower' and 'Spread Eagle Across The Block' in a melodic trudge into the menacing 'Black Paint.'
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This past Friday, Pusha T delicately re-sparked the feud between him and Drake on DAYTONA's 'Infared.' The well-documented ghostwriting of Quentin Miller was the extent of the diss, snatching some low-hanging fruit and leaving a curveball right over the plate for Drake to smash out of the park with 'Duppy Freestyle.' Drake's instantaneous response, dropping the fully-composed 'Duppy' less than 24 hours after DAYTONA, is dubious at best. Especially given the level of polished bars Drake drives home, I'd be shocked if someone at G.O.O.D. Music didn't alert the emcee of 'Infared' beforehand. Still, the point remains that Drake goes for Pusha T's throat and comes out the victor. "Must've had your Infrared wrong, now your head in the beam / Y'all are the spittin' image of whatever jealousy breeds," "Don’t push me when I'm in album mode / You not even top 5 as far as your label talent goes," and "You might've sold to college kids for Nike & Mercedes / But you act like you sold drugs for Escobar in the '80s" are some of the highlights to this well-oiled beef response.
'I'm Upset' on the other hand, retracts much of what Drake accomplished on 'Duppy' with some basic-level Trap that pales in comparison to the glorious Bounce of Drake's best song 'Nice For What.' The timing of 'I'm Upset' certainly didn't help matters, releasing a mere day after 'Duppy' had audiences heaping praise on the rapper, as the generic, atmospheric Trap fails to impress both lyrically and sonically. Even the piecemeal Jazz Rap of 'Duppy' felt more in-tune with Drake's motives, 'I'm Upset's' rampant hi-hats and uninspired keys ride waves instead of starting new ones. Especially after the hardness of 'Duppy,' the fragile content of 'I'm Upset' - dealing largely with mischievous women after Drake's wealth - isn't a good look. Perhaps on a slow-burner the results would've been more in-tune, but with hit-branded Trap acting as the facilitator, this emotional dilemma feels unconvincing and lame.
'I'm Upset' on the other hand, retracts much of what Drake accomplished on 'Duppy' with some basic-level Trap that pales in comparison to the glorious Bounce of Drake's best song 'Nice For What.' The timing of 'I'm Upset' certainly didn't help matters, releasing a mere day after 'Duppy' had audiences heaping praise on the rapper, as the generic, atmospheric Trap fails to impress both lyrically and sonically. Even the piecemeal Jazz Rap of 'Duppy' felt more in-tune with Drake's motives, 'I'm Upset's' rampant hi-hats and uninspired keys ride waves instead of starting new ones. Especially after the hardness of 'Duppy,' the fragile content of 'I'm Upset' - dealing largely with mischievous women after Drake's wealth - isn't a good look. Perhaps on a slow-burner the results would've been more in-tune, but with hit-branded Trap acting as the facilitator, this emotional dilemma feels unconvincing and lame.
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Thee Oh Sees' history and lore in Psychedelic Rock is one both rich and diverse, constantly evolving and altering their style every couple albums. Their latest, Orc, unknowingly marked the end of their traditional Psych Rock / Krautrock stage, as 'Overthrown' finds the group diving headfirst into a mosh pit of Speed Metal. Typically, Metal doesn't constitute a promising piece of music in my eyes, as I feel the genre loses a great deal of texture, variety, and discipline when head-banging aggression is the desired result. However, when it comes to the Oh Sees and their knack for crafting curious affairs through conventional means, this parlay into Metal is one that's appetizing, even if 'Overthrown's' just an appetizer. As a singular piece that finds relentless drums and screeching guitars going berserk, 'Overthrown' doesn't offer much in terms of the Oh Sees' side-bending structure. It does feature force, determination, and anarchic prowess.
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On 'Percs,' Denzel Curry exemplifies his style, finesse, and aggression, further perpetuating his lane as Trap's foremost antagonizer. Unlike some previous singles to the elusive Taboo, like 'Sumo' and 'Uh Huh,' 'Percs' actually comes equip with focused lyrical content, something Curry usually disavows until his quieter, conscious musings as seen on 'If Tomorrow's Not Here.' Now, 'Percs' doesn't get that introspective or as eloquent, but Curry's deathly condemnation of Mumble Rap is both dour and candid. "With these dumbass niggas, and they don't say shit / Sound like "durr, durr, durr", you like "oh, that's lit"" Curry barks, criticizing many listeners partaking in the same genre (Trap) as himself. Of course, the hook rattles cages with confidence as Curry's prone to do - and was seen all over 13 - but it's in his verses that his firmly-held opinions come to light. Unfortunately, with Curry's staunch demeanor and claustrophobic appearance, the production's quirks get swallowed in the process.
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Great piece!
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